Business Culture in Japan and the World

 I will be comparing my experiences in the workplace in the US and what I’ve learned about work culture in Japan. 

I think that when it comes to hierarchies in the workplace, the United States and Japan differ somewhat, but only recently have the differences started to show. In the past in the American work place there was a clear line between positions across multiple companies, but as the years have passed that line has slowly started to blur. I will be focusing on the decision-making aspects of the workplace. 

I would say that recently people tend to speak out about certain topics in the workplace such as maltreatment and such, I noticed from my experience at work and talking with some of my coworkers and friends who are also in the workforce that the companies have started to actually care about what the subordinates think, and along with that the subordinates also have a somewhat equal standing. This ties in with the concept of maintaining the concept of Wa in the workspace. The Japanese follow a strict hierarchy system and I would say when it comes to decision making it’s everyone’s business unlike the saying I’ve heard many times while reading what people post about their workplaces: “I will mind the business that pays me.” Basically, in most American workspaces that require an important decision, it’s only important to the group it affects the most. The engineers aren’t going to ask Human Resources if they should follow through with a certain process or not. 

In comparison, the US and Japan are equally punctual, except for the after work hang outs because a good work-life balance is prioritized so most workers cut off everything work related outside of their shifts. 

I wouldn't say there's much of a difference in the other topics so I will end the blog here for today. 


Comments

  1. HaydenNovember 24, 2025 at 10:13 PM

    It sounds like Canada is very similar to the US in terms of work culture. Good blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. EmilijaNovember 24, 2025 at 10:20 PM

    Did not expect US to be actually similar to Japan, very interesting!

    ReplyDelete

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